1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera for detecting a focus in a plurality of focus detection regions on a photographing picture and, at the same time, metering the light in a plurality of light metering regions.
2. Related Background Art
There have been known a camera in which a plurality of focus detection regions are set on a photographing picture, and a focus is detected by selecting an arbitrary focus detection region therefrom (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-288845).
In this type of camera, the plurality of focus detection regions are set in line in a long-side direction of the photographing picture. A selected region is changed in accordance with a rotating direction and a rotational quantity by a setting dial for setting each item of photographing data, thus selecting an arbitrary focus detection region.
FIG. 37 is a rear view of the camera in which the setting dial is disposed on a body rear surface. A setting dial 403 for setting respective items of photographing data is mounted on a rear cover 402 of a camera 401. At the same time, the rear surface of the camera 401 is provided with a variety of operation buttons 404, 405.
In this type of camera, the photographer manipulates these operation members 403 to 405 with a thumb of the right hand, thus setting various items of photographing data. The various items of data of the camera include high-order data such as an aperture, a shutter speed and an exposure compensation and low-order data such as an aperture value, a shutter speed value and an exposure compensation value that are contained in the high-order data. Normally, the high-order data is selected by an operation button disposed in unillustrated other position of the camera 401, and the low-order data corresponding to the selected high-order data is selected by the setting dial 403. Further, the operation buttons 404, 405 provided on the rear surface of the camera incorporate the single functions to fix autofocusing and exposing for only the duration of being operated. The photographer manipulates the operations buttons 404, 405 with the thumb of the right hand, thus operating them.
There has also been known a camera in which a plurality of focus detection regions are set by subdividing a photographing picture in the form of a matrix, and a focus is detected by selecting an arbitrary focus detection region with a track-ball type input member serving as a release button (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,152).
However, the number of the focus detection regions increased with the advancement of the autofocus technique, and the focus detection regions are two-dimensionally arranged on the photographing picture. This arrangement causes the following problem inherent in the former camera for selecting the region by use of the setting dial. The selected regions are sequentially changed along the uppermost or lowermost array in the long-side direction of the photographing picture by rotating the setting dial. When reaching the right end or the left end, the selected region is shifted to the second array from above or under and thus similarly sequentially changed. Such a scanning operation has to be performed up to the last array, resulting in a poor operability.
Further, there arises the following problem inherent in the latter camera described above. The track ball type input member serving as the release button is provided on the upper surface of the camera, and, therefore, the focus detection regions on the photographing picture are shifted by the track ball on the assumption that the photographing picture for selecting the focus detection region is formed as if existing on a horizontal plane including the optical axis of a photographing lens. It follows that an arbitrary region is selected therefrom. On the other hand, the finder picture is so formed as to be orthogonal to the optical axis of the photographing lens, and hence it follows that the photographing picture of the track-ball type input member is orthogonal to the finder picture. Consequently, the operating direction of the track ball does not coincide with the shifting direction of the selected region of the finder picture. This leads to a sense of incongruity and a poor operability.